Oyasuminasai
by Kado-Kattsune
Summary: Morning is always turbulent, it waits for no one. With the morning comes the past night's events into light and the heavy realization that they are reality.   Oyasuminasai. Goodnight. Goodbye.


A/N: Okay, so, this is kind of old. Tori belongs to destinyswindow, and Hanako belongs to another friend of mine. This is something I wanted to turn into a full story, but this is all I've ever gotten. Plus a few short prompt drabbles. I still like this, though there might be a slight risk of OOC there near the end. Enjoy?

* * *

"Stand down."

"I will not."

On that empty street, under the flickering glow of the street lamps, several battles had already taken place that night and one more was about to begin. Of the two that had stepped in to save Rukia, one was unconscious and the orange-haired shinigami who this whole mess was about was as good as reduced to a bystander.

The fourth seat of the eleventh division stood in between the sixth division captain and where his vice-captain had the Kuchiki girl pinned, her zanpakuto drawn. Her sudden arrival had been…unexpected, to put it bluntly, and her actions unthought of.

"Eleventh division, fourth seat, Shiratsuki Koinari, I will repeat once more. Stand down." The Taichou's eyes had begun to narrow.

"I refuse!" In sharp contrast to the elder Kuchiki's dangerously low voice, the honey blonde's rose to something just short of yelling. This was wrong. What was planned for the thirteenth division girl was wrong. Yes, she had broken rules but nothing to warrant the punishment to be given. Koinari would not stand for it. Even if it meant going against a Captain.

"Senpai, what're you-" the vice-captain's question was cut short by a gesture from his commanding officer. What the hell was going on? She wasn't seriously planning on fighting Kuchiki-Taichou, was she?

His unspoken question was answered by the sound of clashing blades. His Taichou blocking Koinari's first strike. For the briefest of moments it almost appeared they were on equal footing. But the sixth division captain wasn't even trying and anger was making his senpai sloppy.

"Burn, Shiranui!" To raise her blade against a captain was insanity, but to go so far…the captain would no longer hold back. She had done well, holding her own so far, but as the flames spread along her blade Koinari knew she had crossed a line. There would be no turning back now.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura." Even though Shiranui's flames could burn the flower petals, there were far too many and the attack came far too quickly.

The honey haired shinigami fell backwards, hitting the ground with a sickening thud, the blood already beginning to pool beneath her, her zanpakuto falling out of her now slackened grip.

The cold eyes of the sixth division captain gazed down at the fallen woman. "You dishonor your title as a member of the Gotei 13." Something that might have been a chuckle floated up from the bloodied girl and, oddly enough, a grin found its way onto her face as she met his gaze. Her lips moved in what might have been a response, but no sound left her. Simply a thin trail of blood to slide down her cheek. The look lasted only for a few moments before her eyes closed and her face went slack. She had either lost consciousness or…

The captain's foot made contact with the fallen shinigami blade and in one swift, unseen motion it was on the ground at Renji's feet. "We'll take that with us as well. She will have no more use for it." With that, the head of the Kuchiki clan turned on his heel, taking his adopted sister by the shoulder and near-dragged her off with him.

The sixth division vice-captain remained stunned for a moment, looking down at the sword now in his hand. There was nothing he could have done. He couldn't go against his Taichou, his duty. "Forgive me, Senpai." he muttered before turning to catch up with his captain.

Once back in Seireitei, the sixth division captain had left with his sister to handle that matter. Leaving Renji with the unwanted duty of informing Koinari's division of her fate. It wasn't only her division, either. There were other people who would need to be told. The Fourth Division girl- Hanasaki Tori, was it?- who had thought her an older sister, Kira who had been fond of her, Shuuhei who had been her classmate and close friend, Komamura-Taichou who had looked at the girl as something akin to a daughter. He did not want to do this.

Eventually, he had managed to gather the rambunctious fighting squad into the main room of their barracks, standing in front of the doorway with Shiranui currently hidden from view. The sheathed katana was still warm to the touch, even after all this time. Grieving for the loss of it's master or perhaps seething in silent anger. Heaving a heavy sigh, the man readied himself for what he had to do. "I come today bearing unfortunate news. Senpai-" he cut off, fighting against what might have been a pained expression from forming. "Fourth Seat, Eleventh Division, Shiratsuki Koinari is…" Damnit, this was harder than he ever thought it would be. There was a moment of heavy silence, the building tension in the room becoming nearly palpable. "Dead." he finally managed to say after a few moments, presenting her zanpakuto for them to see. "I'm here to return the zanpakuto, Shiranui, to the Eleventh Division."

When the lieutenant of the 6th division arrived at their barracks, they figured it was a normal occurrence as him and their tenth seat, Fuji Hanako, were together. What shocked them was how he approached and the tension rising into their barracks, actually following him into the main room to listen to his important news. They were all on edge, especially since Koinari hadn't yet returned, never expecting what was about to leave Renji's lips.

_Fourth Seat, Eleventh Division, Shiratsuki Koinari is dead._

Silence struck the division like a ton of bricks, whatever witty comment Ikkaku was going to say immediately caught in his throat; leaving as nothing more than a strained and vaguely gurgling noise. His eyes wide and mouth open still before he clenched his jaw tightly. The ceramic cup in his hand cracking under the sudden spiritual pressure flooding into the room. There was now tea leaking steadily into Yumichika's beautiful shihakushou, but the man had failed to notice. The taichou was the first to speak up, his lieutenant crying into his shoulder almost immediately at the news. "How did she die?" he asked quietly as he gathered the pink haired girl into his arms and cradled her gently despite the killing intent in his eyes. Glancing up at his tenth seat when she stood up, suddenly, beside him, "No, who killed her?" she asked under her breath, coming up to retrieve the sword from the lieutenant. Her hands shaking a little as she took the covered blade from him, trying her best to hide the emotions inside. Pain gripping her heart though as she tried to breathe, it was like she lost a daughter. "Was it Byakuya-taichou?"

"Hanako-chan! You can't just assume something like that!" Yumichika said, getting to his feet quickly to stop the girl before she got herself into trouble.

"Yumichika, sit down." Kenpachi growled suddenly, making the other quickly look down at his captain in shock.

"Koi-neee-saaaan." wailed Yachiru.

"Well, Abarai? My fourth seat doesn't return after chasing after you two. . .I don't think she 'just' died." Kenpachi was starting to snarl out his words by now.

Renji found himself at a loss for words. They deserved a proper answer but he couldn't very well turn this group onto his Captain. His gaze fell to the floor, unable to look them in the eyes. "Koinari-Senpai stood in the way of the completion of the mission to retrieve Kuchiki Rukia." He could hear the words coming from his mouth as if they were being said by someone else entirely. Empty and drained of emotion. This wasn't right. None of it was right. Wasn't this the time when his Senpai would come through the door behind him, smack him across the back of the head, and demand why he thought she could die so easily? "She raised her sword against my captain with intent to injure, if not kill. She was cut down as an enemy. There will be no funeral procession." The vice-captain realized his wording had made it sound as if he had been responsible. In a way he supposed he was. He wasn't able to protect anyone. Not Rukia and not his Senpai when she had needed it.

A loud 'Smack' erupted through the air as Hanako slapped him across the face after he was done speaking. Her hand shaking as well as her shoulders, eyes welling up with tears as she started to speak. "How dare you. How dare you talk to us like that, like, you don't. . .even care. . .She was your senpai too!" she shouted at him, barely noticing Yachiru run up and take the zanpakuto before fleeing down the hallway with the memory of her subordinate.

Kenpachi let her go, he knew the pink haired girl needed her space right now or she'd even go off on him, the tenth seat starting to walk out. "Ikkaku, Yumichika, Hanako, if you three leave these barracks, I will personally have you subdued." he said faintly. They were ready to go off on anything right now and that wouldn't be good, they'd destroy the system and he couldn't have that. They'd have to shut up and deal with it. No matter how hard it was for him too not to kill anyone he was still the Taichou of the Eleventh Division. Now more than ever, he would have to act it.

Ikkaku was the first to rush down the hallway, his mug cracking against the floor to possibly destroy something though he listened to his taicho and didn't leave the barracks while he did so. Yumichika followed and soon Kenpachi as well, all to let off some steam or sneak off anyway. They'd rather get knocked out then wait around for her body to arrive. The tenth seat stayed behind, sinking to her knees with her hands over her face. Renji hesitated for a few moments, torn between comforting the small woman or to leave her alone. A pained look forming on his face before he turned to leave the barrack as well. Before this morbid excuse for a mission was over he would still have to inform his fellow fuku-taichous and through them the remainder of the Gotei's Taichous.

_. .Shiratsuki Koinari is dead . . .is dead. . .dead. _

When Abarai had shown up at division eleven's barracks with out Koinari and saying that he needed to speak with everyone, all the higher-ups, and therefore more intelligent of the division, knew it wasn't going to be good news. One of them had had enough sense to send someone after Hanasaki Tori, the fourth seat of division four. And they were glad they had. No one wanted to repeat this news to the tiny healer.

Tori's world felt like it had stopped. Renji-kun's words continued to run a loop through her head while she desperately tried to find some hint, some hope, that the red-headed Vice Captain was lying. This was too much to take in at once. Her sempai, mentor, best friend, her big sister was dead. Tori was so caught up in the whirlwind of emotions going through her that she barely noticed the movement of the division around her. It wasn't until the loud sound of skin on skin reached her ears that she forced her focus back on the room in front of her.

Renji-kun had an angry red hand print on his cheek, a guilty look on his face, while Hanako-chan was on her knees, shoulders heaving from her sobs. The taichou, vice captain and third and fifth seats had left the room. Those left behind were shifting uneasily. Quiet murmuring filled the room. Most of it was too low to be heard but Tori picked up all she needed from a random member next to her. Before anyone could move to stop her, Tori had left the barracks and was making her way through Seireitei towards the sixth division barracks. Everything was blurred in her vision, people were defined just enough for her to avoid colliding with them. She didn't even notice Hitsugaya and Ichimaru Taichous when she flew past.

Hitsugaya watched as Tori rushed by without greeting him. His eyebrows bunched together. She never missed a chance to say hi to him and she'd had an odd look on her face; a cross between pained and angry. It was odd but he brushed it off as something to do with her job. She was probably just on her way back to the clinic to treat someone. It wasn't until a few minutes later, when Matsumoto came running up, crying, that he realized something was wrong. The small captian hung around long enough to listen to his vice captain sob out the report Abarai had given about Shiratsuki's death before taking off after Hanasaki. He didn't even bother excusing himself from his discussion with Ichimaru.

Tori didn't even bother knocking. She just slammed open the door to Kuchiki-taichou's office, her whole body quivering from anger and from suppressing the break down that had threatened her since she heard Renji-kun's words.

"Is it true?" the third seat demanded of the captain. He barely spared her a glance from his paperwork. "Answer me, damnit! Did you kill Koinari-sempai?"

"She disgraced the Gotei 13 by drawing her zanpakuto against a taichou and refusing to back down. I dealt with her the in only way she allowed me." Byakuya kept his voice even as he told Tori his reasoning for killing her best friend.

"Did you even ask her why she refused to back down? Did you even bother trying to see her view on things?" Tori's voice was steadily gaining in volume as she approached the desk separating her and the emotionless Taichou in front of her. "Or were you such an arrogant pig that you thought there was no way you were wrong? Are you such a fucking dog that you can't think for yourself?" Without even realizing what she was doing, Tori had draw Tsubame and leveled it at Byakuya's head; right between the eyes.

Byakuya's eyes flickered from Tori's anger clouded ones to the point of her sword, and back. Even though her tiny frame was shaking, her sword was steady. She meant her threat. "Think about what you're doing, Hanasaki. Do you really want to go the same way as Shiratsuki?"

He spoke her name. He had murdered her in cold blood and yet he dared to speak her name to Tori in that damned indifferent tone of his. "How dare you? You killed her you bastard and yet you speak of her that way!" she raised her arm, beginning to twirl her sword over her head. "SOAR, TSU-"

"Tori."

Her words caught in her mouth. For a second it wasn't Hitsugaya's hand on hers, staying her sword. It wasn't his voice speaking her name. It was Koinari-sempai's. And in that second all her anger dissipated, leaving her with the horrible, gut wrenching despair of Koinari's death.

The tears that had been threatening her since she'd heard the news spilled over and her knees gave out beneath her. Luckily, Hitsugaya caught her before she hit the ground. Gently he removed the zanpakutou from her grasp.

"She's dead. She's dead. Why did he have to kill her? Why?" Tori sobbed into the Tenth Division Taichou's robes. He didn't bother trying to stop her as he walked out of the office, casting a glance back at Byakuya. He had caused all this pain. This pain that was completely unnecessary. "Dead. And he killed her. He could have just subdued her. He didn't have to kill her. Why? I hate him. I hate him. I'll kill him. Dead. She's dead."

Usually Ichimaru Gin would be in high spirits on a day like today, watching all the little subordinates weeping in devastation. The gloomy atmosphere usually putting a wide smile on his face, increasing his need to make things worse and much more devastating to the people around him.

For some strange reason, he couldn't.

Maybe because he wasn't the one responsible for all this.

Maybe because he hadn't been there to watch the emotions well up in their face before they cried their little eyes out or fumed in anger.

Maybe it was because there wasn't a way to savor these delicate moments even longer.

Maybe, just maybe, it was because of how he cared for the woman that he couldn't even break into a laugh.

No.

That was crazy talk.

The captain shook his head in disappointment, how could he think such a way. There was no way something like that could happen. Who would actually like a woman as stubborn and angry as her? It was just a game that he was playing after all.

And now it was over.

The thought made him frown as he passed by the eleventh division barracks, his closed eyes falling over the sword of the deceased, high on display. A secret funeral long over with, the incense still fresh in the air as he entered the room. They had her picture up on display above her sword. One from the academy, her uniform symbols hanging over her shoulders. Her hair was long then and she was actually smiling at the camera; it looked fake to him though but he ignored their choice of photographs. His pale fingertips slid across the sheath of her sword, chipping off dried blood as he did so.

Was this how it would end? One wrong move and someone would be gone? Something bubbled inside of him and he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was as his eyes cracked open.

It was time for a visit.

The noble had enough problems that day with people trying to kill him as he strolled down his property. Senbonzakura still at his side despite his sleeping robes hugging his body. His walking slowed after a few moments, whirling around with his sword raised, seeming to attack nothing as his blade slid through the air.

"Hm, a bit jumpy today aren't we Rokubantai Taichou-san?" Came a chill of a voice behind him.

"Ichimaru." He merely answered in response, sheathing his zanpakutou.

"You don't need to be so formal, Taichou, I mean it's just you and me after all." Gin said, his grin spreading into a malicious one that even made the noble taicho glance around. The man was right, where were his guards?

"Are you threatening me, Gin?" He questioned, his voice as stoic as normal though his fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword.

"Ha! I'm surprised, Byakuya, thinking I would do such a petty thing." he said with a laugh before turning his head toward the raven-haired man, crimson orbs suddenly staring through the darkness surrounding them. "I'm just stating a known fact. . .the next time you think your alone and safe, you just have to remember that I don't sleep." There was a pause as the Sanbantai Taichou made to leave, his usual grin showing through the shadows in a very Chesire-esque manner.

"And you're bound to, sooner or later."


End file.
